Meet one Youth Mentoring Collaborative's youth Board Members, Justice Skinner. Follow along with this interview between Justice and Hannah McKinney, Manager of Communications & Storytelling.
The Interview
Q. How did you first hear about and start with YMC? (HM)
A. "I learned about MENTOR NC via my former mentoring program, the 100 Black Men of America. I was invited to speak at an event to provide a youth perspective. Not long after that, I was offered a job on their board of directors." (JS)
Q. What is your personal "why" for the work you do with YMC? (HM)
A. "I was a part of the 100 Black Men of America for two years before I aged out. During that time I had the pleasure of knowing the incredible men who run the NC chapter. Through the program I learned valuable skills that I still use to this day. Additionally, I was awarded numerous opportunities to attend their conference - I was even able to speak at the governor's mansion for an event. So, the reason I do this work is so that perhaps another young man of color can have the same experiences that I did or better." (JS)
Q. Why do you think this [YMC's] work is important? (HM)
A. "I believe it's important so that the youth within these mentoring programs can live to their fullest potential. The resources we provide help them along their way." (JS)
Q. Which of YMC's values are you personally most aligned with? (HM)
A. "I feel most aligned with courage because I believe that's what it takes to go after what you want. Similarly, courage is needed to seize the opportunities that are presented to you from a mentee's perspective. Lastly, it takes courage to make changes within our legal system that can benefit these youth." (JS)
Q. What part of YMC's future are you most excited for? (HM)
A. "I'm most excited about the partnerships that YMC will form. We've had excellent ones thus far and I feel we have even more potential following our rebranding." (JS)
Q. What is your specialty as a Board Member? (HM)
A. "I would say my area of expertise is thinking from a mentee's point of view and aligning some of YMC's goals with that in mind. I recently had the privilege to do this while working on a scholarship with one of our organization's partners." (JS)
Q. Share a fun story about YMC! (HM)
A. "I recently attended a conference with Ms. [Malenia] Swinton and before we went in the building, we were debating on whether or not to bring our backpacks inside with us. We opted not to, but were then ironically greeted with backpacks through the conference. We simply looked at each other and laughed." (JS)
Q. What's a fun fact about you? (HM)
A. "When I'm not in school, I love practicing archery." (JS)
This concludes the interview. To learn more about Justice Skinner and the rest of the team, visit Our Team.